Abu Dhabi's ADNEC posts record Q1 results in 2015

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has posted record Q1 results in 2015, hosting 14 exhibitions and 5 conferences that attracted more than 270,000 visitors to both Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and Al Ain Convention Centre.

In Q1 of 2015, ADNEC hosted 5 conferences, representing 400% increase compared to the same period of 2014. Additionally, ADNEC generated about Dh842 million in economic impact for Abu Dhabi over the first three months of 2015.

Ali bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company, said, "ADNEC is pleased with the outstanding results we have achieved in the first quarter of 2015, which will serve as a strong motivation for us for the rest of the year. We are committed to maintaining this positive momentum towards achieving our performance goals and positioning Abu Dhabi as the capital of business tourism in the Middle East."

Al Dhaheri added, "This was achieved thanks to the collective efforts of all our employees as well as the close collaboration between ADNEC departments towards achieving the company's performance goals for 2015 and attracting more international events to our venues."

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Acting Group CEO at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, said: "It has been a busy quarter for ADNEC and we are proud to have surpassed 270,000 visitors during this period. Of the key contributing factors to this growth is the unparalleled quality of our facilities as well as the increased capacity of our venues to keep up with the growth in the event portfolio. In addition, ADNEC has built a world class workforce whose diligent efforts to turn challenges into opportunities help us achieve our strategic goals and meet the expectations of our partners and event organisers."

"In addition to the strong performances from our existing events such as IDEX and ADSW, our new events also generated considerable visitor interest and have helped us surpass last year's Q1 results in terms of gross space and visitor turn-out," Humaid added.

ADNEC has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the number of events its venues hosted in the first three months of 2015. All these events happening one after the other have tested the readiness of ADNEC's facilities to handle the huge turnout of international delegates and visitors, while ensuring the best logistical support to event organisers, exhibitors, and media, among others. As its event portfolio is expanding at such as rapid pace year after year, ADNEC is committed to continually upgrading its facilities to keep abreast of the evolving demands of the industry.

In January 2015, ADNEC hosted the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2015 (ADSW 2015) from 17 to 24 January, which included the World Future Energy Summit (WFES), the International Water Summit (IWS) and EcoWaste. Registering unprecedented success, ADSW 2015 attracted more than 30,000 participants and visitors from 170 countries becoming one of the biggest and most important global events in the renewable energy sector. The event convened countries from around the world to discuss the future of energy, energy security, sustainable development and the development of innovative solutions for global energy challenges.

In February 2015, ADNEC staged the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) from 22 to 26 February. Held under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the event attracted 1,200 local and international defence manufacturers and contractors along with more than 101,000 visitors from all over the world. The only international defence exhibition and conference in the MENA region, IDEX also facilitated business deals worth Dh18.9 Billion in its latest edition, further cementing its status as the most strategically important tri-service defence exhibition in the world.

March marked the busiest month to date in 2015 for ADNEC with the venue hosting eight scheduled events. These events included the second edition of the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA 2015), Health & Fitness Fun Festival 2015, the 16th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health (WCTOH 2015), the third edition of Abu Dhabi Electronics Shopper (ADEShopper 2015), the second edition of ABILITIESme, Apex Middle East Conference 2015, Custom Show Emirates and International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE2015).

Hosting the second edition of the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) from 9 - 11 March that drew the participation of more than 250 speakers from global companies and organisations was another key highlight in the first quarter. The event aimed to galvanise international efforts towards achieving a common vision and approach to leverage innovative and smart solutions for the development of the agricultural sector and food production.

Between 17 – 21 March, ADNEC hosted the 16th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health (WCTOH 2015), the largest international gathering of tobacco control advocates, policy makers, researchers, public health and clinical experts.

Attended by over 1,000 delegates from around the world, the triennial event was themed ‘Tobacco and Non-Communicable Diseases', and highlighted for the first time the risk factors of non-communicable (chronic) diseases associated with tobacco use. The five-day scientific conference highlighted the latest developments in tobacco control and global efforts to reduce tobacco use in all its forms through featuring more than 800 scientific presentations and discussions.

ADNEC offers 133,000 sq. m of inter-connected floor space to match the expectations of a wide variety of events and exhibitions. Equipped with modern facilities and built to international standards, the venue attracted 1.6 million people across 327 events in 2014.